Witch Hunting and Witch Trials (RLE Witchcraft): The Indictments for Witchcraft from the Records of the 1373 Assizes Held from the Home Court 1559-1736

376 Pages·2011·5.664 MB·English

by  C L’Estrange Ewen

ROUTLEDGE LIBRARY EDITIONS:
WITCHCRAFT
WITCH HUNTING AND WITCH
TRIALS

WITCH HUNTING AND WITCH TRIALS
The Indictments for Witchcraft from the
Records of 1373 Assizes Held for the Home
Circuit AD 1559-1736
Collected and Edited by
C. L’ESTRANGE EWEN
Volume 3
Firstpublishedin1929
Thiseditionfirstpublishedin2011
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AND
The Indictments for Witchcraft from
the Records of 1373 Assizes held for
the Home Circuit A.D. 1559-1736
Collected and edited by
C. L'ESTRANGE EWEN
With an Introduction
LONDON
KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH, TRUBNER & CO., LTD.
BROADWAHYO USE:6 874 CARTER LANE,E .C.
1929
CONTENTS
PAGE
PREFACE ix
INTRODUCTION
.
Ancient Laws against Witchcraft . I
Chaucer and Wycliffe 8
.
Growth of Witchcraft. 10
. .
Archbishop Cranmer . . 11
Elizabeth's Injunctions. . 12
Ecclesiastical Cases 12
.
Acts of Parliament I3
. .
Definitions of Terms 21
.
Punishments for Witchcraft, England 24
.
Punishments for Witchcraft, Scotland 26
Punishments for Witchcraft, Ireland . . 26
. .
Condition of Gaols 26
. .
Further Punishments 28
Military Action . 30
Ratio of Death Sentences to Arraignments . - 31
.
Reprieves 32
.
Lesser Punishments 35
. -
Suspicion 37
Pardons . 39
Escapes . - 39
.
Accusations in Upper Circles 39
.
The Last Executions in England 42
.
Repeal of the Statute 44
The Courts and Jurisdiction . 45
.
The Commission of Gaol Delivery, 1653 47
A Writ of Summons, 1653 48
. -
The Circuits 49
Venues of the Assizes 50
.
The Judges 5O
.
Procedure 52
.
Bail 53
An Information. 1647. 54
.
An Examination, 1647 54
.
A Warrant, 1701 55
.
Recognizance of a Suspected Witch, 1.5 78 56
Recognizance of a Witness, 1578 57
.
An Order for a Remand, 1656 57
.
Witnesses 58
v
vi CONTENTS
PAGE
Confessions 59
. .
Coroners' Inquests 60
. .
The Discovery of Witches 60
. -
Torture and Ill-Treatment . 65
Professional Witch-finders 69
.
Judge's Direction to the Jury 71
. -
Records of Assizes 71
.
Home Circuit Documents 72
.
Presentments and Indictments 74
.
Sixteen Examples of Indictments 77
.
Notes on the Indictments 92
.
Endorsements and Annotations 93
.
Key to contracted Words 94
.
Gaol Calendars . 97
Gaol Delivery Rolls 97
.
Ratio of Persons Hanged to Persons Indicted 98
Statistical Table 99
. .
Rise and Decline of Witchc.r aft Prosecutions . IOI
List of Convicted Witches . 102
Conditions in other Circuits 109
. .
Estimate of Total Executions 111
Comparison of Witchcraft Belief with Modern
. .
Superstitions 113
790 ABSTRACTOSF BILLSO F INDICTMENTS I I7
APPENDICES
.
I. A Gaol Delivery Roll, 1645 facing 231
.
11. Discovery of Witches. Dalton 267
. .
111. Slander Actions 270
.
IV. List of Witches not mentioned in Indictments 282
. .
V. A Scottish Indictment, 1633 286
.
VI. Depositions, Suffolk, 1645 291
.
VII. Depositions, Leicester, 1717 314
VJII. Examination and confession of Witches at
.
Chelmsford, 1556 317
INDEX 325
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
FACING PAGE
A Witch and Her Imps, A.D. 1621 . Front.
(From a contemporary drawing, Brit. Mus., Add. MS.
32496.)
Extract from Gaol Book, A.D. 1684 . . 43
A Bill of Indictment, A.D. 1579 . . 80
Execution of Witches, A.D. 1655 . . 112
(From England's Grievance discovered in relation to the
Coal-Trade, by Ralph Gardiner.)
" The Strange Woman" and her Spirits, A.D. 1621 . . 176
(From a contemporary drawing, Brit. Mus., Add. MS.
32496.)
A Witch Hunter and his Victims, A.D. 1647 . . 224
(From Discovevie of Witches.)
A Yorkshire Terror, A.D. 1621 . . 290
(From a contemporary drawing, Brit. Mus., Add. MS.
32496.)